Filtered tag: Senior Services

Bill McCracken went to bed one night feeling like a 40 year old and woke up the next day feeling like a 90 year old. A stroke will do that to you. But that doesn’t mean life is over. For the past few years, it’s been such an honour to work as a Community Navigator with people… Read more…

Mr. Jones is an 83-year-old widower living in his own home. When asked, he’ll tell you he is doing “fair to middling.” He’ll go on to tell you his legs are tired and wobbly and he doesn’t get out as much as he’d used to. He has a scooter, which gets him to town and… Read more…

I was speaking to my friend, Robert, who I would describe as a “reluctant caregiver” and I was struck by the internal struggle he faces with his aging parents. It is clear there is a long history of conflict and hurt between him and his father. There isn’t much affection between them and his visits… Read more…

Summer is back, in all its glory. For some it also means an onslaught of heat-related issues, especially for seniors. Lethargy, dehydration, poorer sleeping patterns — just to name a few. We tend to take our body’s ability to regulate itself during hot days for granted, and forget that as we age, we are at… Read more…

In my business, the services we provide affect both the aging person and their family members. Conflict between adult children and their parents if probably the most common situation we come across. Children typically feel Mom and Dad need more help. Mom or Dad, on the other hand, disagree and are willing to take numerous… Read more…

As part of my consulting work with non-profit organizations, I am currently working on a provincial program for family caregivers in BC.  I was featured as a speaker for a Work & Care video as part of Carers Canada in April 2015.  You can learn more about important tips and strategies for being a caregiver… Read more…

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit not one hospital but two! After rupturing my Achilles tendon in a squash tournament, I was taken to our local hospital where upon arrival, I discovered I didn’t have my CareCard on me. Which surprised me, as I was certain it was something I kept in my… Read more…

In my line of work as a private geriatric case manager, there are few days that go by where I’m not reminded of the consequences of “not having one’s affairs in order.” In my last column, I spoke first-hand about my family’s personal experience with having to make difficult end-of-life decisions when my Dad was… Read more…

It’s highly plausible that some readers assume I’m extremely well organized and that every file in my house has a home. If my husband is reading this, he’ll be laughing out loud. Anyone who works with me will also have a smirk on their face. Theoretically, I fully understand the importance of filing and keeping… Read more…

  All of us know the expression, “Where there is a will, there is a way” and perhaps we’ve even used it when we want to motivate someone, (maybe ourselves), that with determination achieving something or anything is possible. As I thought about a topic for this week’s column, it struck me that the same… Read more…